...Pollard was the first county seat when Escambia County was first created Dec. 10, 1868. Escambia's territory was originally part of Baldwin and Conecuh counties.

Pollard continued as the county seat until the seat of government was moved to Brewton...During Pollard's peak years with the economy based on sawmills, rail and river traffic, the population was about 3,500. About 20 persons lived in the community in 1969. Today, that number is about 100.

Steamboats once plowed the Conecuh River carrying cargo to and from Pollard. The town was, in its heyday, an important rail center and was a vital Confederate military post during the War Between States. The post was headquarters for CSA troops detailed to keep and eye on Pensacola, Fla.

In January, 1865, there was a battle in Pollard with Confederate troops under Gen. J.H. Clanton clashing with a body of federal raiders. The town was later burned.

Pollard was never the same after the war, although, the community received an economic boost when oil was discovered here in January, 1952.

But few towns or communities can boast a history such as Pollard's which includes a little bit of everything from big business to outlaws.

The notorious outlaw, John Wesley Hardin, once lived in Pollard. A movie, "The Lawless Breed" was patterned after Hardin and a part of the movie was filmed in Pollard.

One of the South's greatest train robberies happened near Pollard Sept. 2, 1890, when the notorious Rube Burrows forced the engineer to stop the train on the trestle across Big Escambia Creek. Burrows made his getaway but was trailed through Monroe County into Marengo County where he was killed in a gun battle.

Since Pollard was a transportation center in its early days, it's not surprising that the town was named for Charles T. Pollard, an official of the L&N Railroad.

Once the Pollard Methodist Church was given the bell of a wrecked riverboat in appreciation of the townspeople aiding the captain and crew. However, it has been a long time since a riverboat navigated through Pollard...the community's history is rich indeed.